Posted on 07/14/2005 6:32:27 PM PDT by Righty_McRight
ST. LOUIS, July 14, 2005 – The V-22 Osprey had a “coming out” of sorts yesterday, when VMX-22, the U.S. Marine Corps Tiltrotor Test and Evaluation Squadron in New River, N.C., hosted media from around the nation.
The event was held to share highlights of the recently completed Operational Test and Evaluation and provide a look at where the program currently is and what milestones are yet to come. Those in attendance had the experience of a lifetime when they became some of the first non-government personnel to fly on board a V-22.
“The VMX-22 squadron, led by Col. Glenn Walters, did an impressive job in executing this successful OPEVAL”, said John Lockard, vice president and general manager, Boeing [NYSE: BA] Naval Systems. “Boeing and Bell are proud to have been a part of that success by providing a quality product to conduct the tests. We are looking forward to moving into full rate production.”
During OPEVAL, the aircraft was put into “real world” scenarios aimed at evaluating the V-22s operational effectiveness and suitability. Successful completion of this critical phase of testing is required to support a full-rate production decision, scheduled for late September.
Bell Helicopter CEO Michael Redenbaugh, who attended the event, expressed enormous admiration for the dedicated pilots and maintainers from VMX22 who have worked so diligently during the strenuous OPEVAL program. “This is truly an historic moment for the Opsrey program and all of us are anxious to begin full-rate production to get this magnificent tiltrotor into the hands of our Marine customers.”
Contributing to the V-22 program's progress are the many cost reduction initiatives underway at Boeing, Bell and both companies' supplier bases aimed at bringing unit cost to $58M by 2010. Both Boeing and Bell Helicopter are committed to support a multi-year procurement plan which is an important element of the V-22 programs overall affordability strategy and a significant step towards future program stability.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis , Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $30.5 billion business. It provides network-centric system solutions to its global military, government, and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in sustainment solutions and launch services.
Bell Helicopter, a subsidiary of Textron Inc., is a $1.6 billion, leading producer of commercial and military helicopters, and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell 's global workforce of over 7,500 employees serves customers flying Bell aircraft in over 120 countries.
Textron Inc. is a $10 billion multi-industry company with more than 43,000 employees in nearly 40 countries. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO and Greenlee, among others. More information is available at www.textron.com.
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Contact Info: Kirsti Dunn The Boeing Company-V-22 Joint Program Office (301) 866-2419 kirsti.dunn@boeing.com
Bob Leder Bell Helicopter (817) 280-6440
I take it that they all lived through the test program then?
How many years and billions of dollars have gone in to this turkey?
Tilt rotor ping!
A long as they don't have a backup plan and 200 military careers are held in the balance, they better make it work.
Great News, being a Former Marine, I'm a big fan of The Osprey. They have corrected the deficiencies that occurred and even removed faulty Tube Designs from an Indicted Company that forged Certification records of their parts.
Now, it can finally move into Full Production replacing the aging fleets of CH-46's and CH-53's. I think it has been almost 5 years since a Crash. Looks like they fixed the hiccups of the New Technologies.
Let's Get it into the Fleet.
Ooh Rah! Marines. Semper Fi!
Regards,
Joe
Celebrate the widow maker?
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These turkeys 'officially' cost $40m a copy but if you break down the 2005 budget numbers it costs in excess of $100m *more* than that. The paint alone costs $7000/gallon.
I cannot begin to guess the total real dollar cost of this program.
Somehow I want to say that Cheney tried to kill this program when he was SoD but I might have that wrong.
I can't wait to have some of these flying overhead here in San Diego. The flight path between MCAS Miramar and Camp Pendleton runs along I-15 and over innumerable neighborhoods. Mine included.
In 1986 the cost of a single V-22 was estimated at $24 million, with 923 aircraft to be built. In 1989 the Bush administration cancelled the project, at which time the unit cost was estimated at $35 million, with 602 aircraft. The V-22 question caused friction between Secretary of Defense Richard B. Cheney and Congress throughout his tenure. DoD spent some of the money Congress appropriated to develop the aircraft, but congressional sources accused Cheney, who continued to oppose the Osprey, of violating the law by not moving ahead as Congress had directed. Cheney argued that building and testing the prototype Osprey would cost more than the amount appropriated. In the spring of 1992 several congressional supporters of the V-22 threatened to take Cheney to court over the issue. A little later, in the face of suggestions from congressional Republicans that Cheney's opposition to the Osprey was hurting President Bush's reelection campaign, especially in Texas and Pennsylvania where the aircraft would be built, Cheney relented and suggested spending $1.5 billion in fiscal years 1992 and 1993 to develop it. He made clear that he personally still opposed the Osprey and favored a less costly alternative.
You must have gotten a "stiff neck" posing for that shot, you naughty boy you.
You mean Sikorsky's UH-60 Crashhawk?
Know anything about that? Probably not.
Here's a hint that you should heed, politicians aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer.
Hey cynicom, did you notice that this "expert" on Marine aviation had no factual argument to your post, just this "artwork?" Verrrrrry interesting.
BTW, it is a turkey. Even the House Armed Services Committee had VERY serious doubts.
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